Improvement in apparatus for stretching hat-bodies



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IILLIAM H. STEVENS, OF DANBURY, CONNECTICUT.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 411,468. dated September 27, 1864.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. STEVENS, of Danbury, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Machine for Stretching Hat- Bodies 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this speciflcation, in which- Figure l is a front view of my invention, Fig. 2, a side sectional view otl the same, taken in the line w x, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

This invention relates to a new and improved machine for stretching hat-bodies into a proper form after they have passed th rough the t'eltiu g operation.

The invention consists in the employment or use of two blocks or stretchers suspended on curved arms and operated by means of a lever and straps passing over rollers, the straps being attached to the lower ends of the blocks or stretchers, and the latter constructed of a peculiar form, as hereinafter fully shown and described, whereby 'the desired work may be accomplished in an expe ditious and thorough manner.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents the framing of the machine, which may be constructed in any proper manner to support the working parts; and B B represent two curved arms, the upper ends of which are suspended on one and the same pivot a, or they may be suspended on separate pivots, if desired.l

To the lower end of each arm B there is attached a block or stretcher, C. These may be of wood, their inner surfaces being planes and their outer surfaces rounded horizontally and of concave form longitudinally or vertically, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. The outer surfaces of these blocks or stretchers have notches b made in them horizontally, and their lower ends have tenons c on them, whichl work between horizontal and parallel guides d d in the framing.

To each block or stretcher C at its lower end there is attached a strap or cord, D. These straps or cords pass over pulleys E E between the guides d d, and extend downward, and are attached to a lever, F, which is connected by a hinge or joint, e, to the lower part of the framing, as shown clearly in Fig. The lever F is connected by a pitrnan, G, to a crank pulley, H, said pulley being on a shaft, I, which works in suitable bearings,f,v

on the Iraming A.

The operation is as follows The shaft I is rotated by any convenient power, and a reciprocating movement is communicated to the lever F through the medium of the pit-- man G and crank-pulley H. As the lever F is forced down, the straps or cords D D draw the two blocks C C apart, and thereby stretch the hatbody J, (shown in red,) which is placed upon it, and as the lever F is raised the blocks or stretchers are made to approach each other by their own gravity.

Owing to the shape of the blocks or stretchers C C, the upper part of the crown of the body' will be perfectly' stretched, and this is anA important feature, t'or the ordinary machines do not act sufficiently upon the upper part ot' the crown, while the lower part is generally stretched too much. This difticulty is fully obviated by my invention. The notches b prevent the hat-body from slipping on the blocks or stretchers C C.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Operating the blocks or stretchers C C through the medium of the straps or cords D D, arranged with the pulleys E E, and used in combination with the lever F, pitman G, and crank-pulley H, or their equivalents, for the purpose specified.

WILLIAM H. STEVENS.

Witnesses DAVID B. BOOTH, G. W. HAMILTON. 

